


The End Of The Mission

by afteriwake



Series: And Now I'm Learning You [18]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2403539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally, Khan and Mycroft know who is in charge of the criminal network that they and Sherlock have spent so much time taking down, but it's impossible. There was no way James Moriarty could continue to be pulling the strings. But when the Doctor confirms it was very much in the realm of possibility he decides to see if he can call in a favor to take care of the threat once and for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End Of The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for not showing exactly what happens with Moriarty and the Tesselecta. It will come up at a later point, though, because everyone knows Moriarty likes to brag.

Khan opened the TARDIS doors, hesitating for a moment before he came in. It had been just under a month since the conversation in his and Molly's room about exactly how many people he had hurt in an effort to finish what Sherlock and Mycroft had started. He'd added another sixty-seven people to that tally in that time. But today he had gotten some unexpected news from this latest meeting with Mycroft. It defied explanation, and considering he was someone who had traveled from one universe to another and landed three hundred years in the past that was saying something. 

The Doctor looked up and gave Khan a grin before it turned into a frown. “Is everything all right?” he asked. Molly and Sherlock were in the console room as well, and they both moved closer.

“I know who is pulling the strings of all of this,” he said quietly.

“That's good news,” the Doctor said. “So why do you look concerned?”

“He's untouchable,” Khan said. “Using brute force against him isn't going to work. He's already proven he can cheat death.”

“Who is it?” Molly asked.

Khan was quiet for a moment. “James Moriarty.”

“That can't be,” Sherlock said slowly. “He put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger on the roof of St. Bart's. I watched him do it.” Khan reached into the pocket of his coat and handed him the photograph that Mycroft had given him. Sherlock looked at it with wide eyes. “How?”

Molly and the Doctor both went behind Sherlock and looked at the photograph. “That's really him,” Molly said quietly, her eyes wide.

“Mycroft had him buried in a pauper's grave. We went to the grave together to have him exhumed. The coffin was empty, and there was a dried stain in the bottom. Mycroft himself had checked he was in it before it was dropped into the ground. The day after you fell off the roof, Sherlock, Moriarty was buried. Now he's not.”

“That's impossible!” Sherlock shouted. The Doctor and Molly moved out of the way and Sherlock turned, stepping backward and running a hand through his hair. “He can't still be alive!”

“Look at the time stamp, Sherlock,” Khan said. “It was taken twelve hours ago. He was posing for it.”

Sherlock stopped moving and shut his eyes for a moment to compose himself. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the photo. “That's the front door of my home.”

“He left a note, for you and I and the Doctor,” Khan said, reaching into his coat pocket again. “Somehow he knows the truth.”

“You read it,” Sherlock said, waving his hand as he made his way to the chair and sat down, hunching over and staring at the photograph.

Khan nodded. “'Apparently the world is just full of surprises, isn't it, Sherlock? Came to pay you a visit but you weren't here. Thought I'd pay the man masquerading as your twin brother a visit but he seems to conveniently disappear into thin air and reappear two hours later somewhere else without a single scratch on him. I wonder how that could be. Could it be magic? Could it be the both of you playing the people I have working for me like violins? Or could it be that all of you are hiding on board the TARDIS and the Doctor decided to stick his nose where it didn't belong? I wonder. I'm leaving this note where your real brother can find it. We need to talk. And don't send the alternate universe twin of yours in your place. I want you, on the roof of St. Bart's, at five in the evening tomorrow or I'll make your life exceedingly unpleasant. Jim.'” He lowered the note. “That's all it says.”

“Are you absolutely sure he died on that roof?” the Doctor said.

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes,” Sherlock said, lifting his head up.

“I have a possible explanation, at least for how he faked his death. I've been fooled by one once before.” The Doctor moved over to Sherlock. “I need you to trust me.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked curiously.

“I need to see what happened on that roof,” he replied. “Everything you remember.”

“How will you do that?” Molly asked.

“I'm going to have Sherlock think about that day while I more or less read his mind,” the Doctor said. “But only if he trusts me.”

“I do,” Sherlock said with a nod.

The Doctor placed his fingers on either side of Sherlock's temple and shut his eyes. “All right. Think about the entire encounter on the roof. I need every last detail.” Both men were quiet for quite a few minutes as Molly and Khan watched, and finally the Doctor moved his hands away. “You didn't actually watch Moriarty die. I think you watched a Ganger die.”

“What's a Ganger?” Khan asked.

“It's a flesh duplicate. It basically looks like whoever it is a duplicate of, and it's controlled via psychic uplink with the person who was duplicated. Apparently the technology was upgraded. When he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger there wasn't much blood. There should have been a lot more blood than there was. And if it dissolved over the time it's been buried that would explain the stain in the coffin.” He looked down at Sherlock. “Moriarty fooled you.”

“And he's stayed in the shadows the entire time,” Khan said. “No one took over the criminal empire because he was still there to pull the strings. But how did he know the truth about me? There are not that many people who know the truth, and most of them are back in my home universe. In this one there's only seven. Well, the seven of us and whoever Moriarty has decided to tell.”

“I think Moriarty would keep that particular secret to himself,” Sherlock said. “It's a better way to manipulate you into playing whatever game he has set up.” Sherlock steepled his fingers together in front of his face. “There has to be a way to beat him, once and for all.”

“I can think of two, but one involves asking for a favor I'm not sure I'll get and the other one would put people on board my ship in danger,” the Doctor said with a frown. “And that's only if he doesn't use another Ganger for this meeting.”

“No. If he's chosen such a cheeky reveal it will actually be him at this meeting,” Sherlock said. “I haven't been playing his great game, and now he wants me to pay.” He stood up at that point. “I'll meet with him on the roof.”

“Sherlock, he's going to kill you!” Molly said. “Going on that roof is almost as idiotic as taking on two people who were going to kidnap me all by yourself.”

“I didn't realize you thought it was idiotic,” he said flatly.

Molly moved over to him, grabbing his suit jacket and pulling him closer. “You died. You died in my morgue and the only reason you're still alive is because of Khan. You _died_ so yes, I think it was idiotic. And if you go on that roof you're going to die all over again and there's no more serum and...” She hung her head. “I don't want you to die.”

Sherlock looked at her for a moment, and then awkwardly embraced her. He looked over her head to the Doctor. “What can we do?”

“I can see if I can track the Tesselecta down, but it might take time. But if the crew of the Tesselecta will agree I can guarantee you won't go to that meeting alone.”

“What is the Tesselecta?” Khan asked.

“It's a robot that mimics the appearance of someone and then erases the person it is sent after from history. If I can get the crew inside of it to do me another favor, the Tesselecta can impersonate you and it can accompany Sherlock to this meeting. Moriarty said not to send you in his place. He didn't say you couldn't come as well. And I'll be there with my sonic to make sure it really is Moriarty and not a Ganger.”

“Do it,” Sherlock said after a full minute of silence. The Doctor nodded and went to his console. Molly pulled away from Sherlock and looked up at him. “I am not going to let him win, Molly. I am going to end this game of his once and for all.”

“Please be careful,” she said. “If anything...”

Sherlock nodded. “I understand.”

Molly pulled away from him and looked over at Khan. After a moment he came up to the console. “He'll be fine,” he said quietly.

“But that's only if the Doctor can find the Tesselecta and they'll agree to help,” she said.

“What types of people does the Tesselecta go after, Doctor?” Khan asked.

“Criminals who have committed unspeakable crimes. I first encountered it when it tried to take Adolf Hitler. Then it attempted to take my wife. Both attempts were unsuccessful.” He continued to move around his console. “I believe if Moriarty could get his hands on a Ganger he has a reach far beyond Earth. That might be enough to interest the crew of the Tesselecta.” Finally he flipped a switch and the cloister bell sounded. “Give me five minutes. Maybe ten.” And with that the Doctor went to the doors and exited them.

The three of them who were left in the console room were all quiet for quite a few minutes until Molly spoke. “What if this doesn't work?” she asked.

“It will work,” Sherlock said.

“But what if it doesn't? Are we going to have to spend the rest of our lives on the TARDIS? Are we never going to be able to attempt to have normal lives? I want to go home, Sherlock. Not that I have much of my home left, but I want to be able to settle down and actually live a life where I'm not in fear that I'm going to be murdered.” She leaned into Khan and he put his hands on her shoulders. “What's going to happen if we can't stop him?”

Sherlock was quiet for a moment. “Do you remember what you told me the day I left your home, before I started taking down Moriarty's network?”

She shook her head. “We talked a lot that day. What are you talking about in particular?”

“You told me you had faith in me. I scoffed at that, remember? I said faith wasn't important.”

“And I said if you didn't have faith in something you weren't going to succeed,” she said quietly. “So you said you would have faith in me that I would keep your secret, and I said I'd have faith in you that you'd finish what you needed to do and come home.”

“Do you still have that faith in me?” he asked quietly.

“But this is different,” she said.

He got up and moved closer to her. “Molly. Do you have faith in me?”

She looked at him intently, and then slowly nodded. “Yes.”

“And I have faith in the Doctor. It will work.”

“I believe if the Doctor can convince the crew of the Tesselecta to help this will work,” Khan told her. “With Moriarty gone there isn't anyone left to call the shots in the organization. I've made sure of that. You'll be safe again.”

“It would be nice to feel safe again,” she said, turning to face him. “I want to have a life again. I want _us_ to have a life again.”

“We will,” Khan said with a nod. “I doubt it will go back to how it had been, but we can attempt to have something better.”

“All right,” she said with a nod. She embraced him and he held her close. He didn't have faith in much. He had been like Sherlock and believed that it wasn't necessary for him to have faith in anything except himself and his abilities. But the more time he had spent in this universe the more he realized it was fine to have faith in other people, that they would be there for you if you needed them. And he knew people had faith in him, Molly most of all. It was something he had never expected but wholeheartedly appreciated.

They were still like that when the Doctor came back on board, and he wasn't alone. “The crew of the Tesselecta agreed to help,” the Doctor said. “Apparently Moriarty is on their list. We're doing them a favor, actually. Khan, come down here.”

Khan nodded and let go of Molly before going down the stairs. “What do you need me to do?” he said.

“Just allow them to scan you,” the Doctor replied. “No harm will come to you, I promise.”

Khan stood there as the Tesselecta scanned him. As they watched, the Tesselecta changed until it was like looking in a full length mirror. He was used to looking nearly identical to Sherlock but it was quite uncanny to see someone who looked exactly like _himself_ standing in front of him. “Is there anything else you need me to do?” Khan asked.

The Doctor shook his head, moving up to the console and beginning to dance around it to pilot it. He finally stopped and then nodded to Sherlock. “It's time,” he replied.

“Be careful,” Molly said as Sherlock and the Doctor made their way down to join the Tesselecta. The Doctor nodded as Khan came back up to her. They watched the two men and the robot make it to the door and exit the TARDIS. Khan could see Molly looked nervous, and she began to pace in front of the console. He watched, letting her do what she needed to do. Finally she sat down in the chair, and only then did he move, standing by her side. “They're going to be all right. Right?” she asked, looking up at him.

“They'll be fine.” The two of them lapsed into silence as the minutes ticked by. Finally, ten minutes later the Doctor and Sherlock came back on board. Molly stood up, looking even more nervous. “Well?” he asked.

“It was actually Moriarty,” the Doctor said. “The Tesselecta collected him. All of you are safe now.”

A look of relief washed over Molly's face, and even Khan had to admit his gut unclenched slightly at the good news. “It's over,” she said.

“Yes, it appears so,” Khan replied. 

“I know all of you must be eager to go home, but let's at least find out the condition of your homes. I don't want to send anyone home to a home they can't inhabit,” the Doctor said.

“I already know my home is completely trashed,” she said, her good mood fading.

“My brother fixed as much in your home as he could,” Sherlock said. “And he's made sure no one else has been able to touch it.”

“And I can make it better than it was before,” the Doctor said as he came over to her. “Do you want better furniture? Priceless art? New wallpaper? Because I can do it, you know.”

She smiled at him. “I won't say no to priceless art, but I would much rather have my home look more or less like it used to.” Then she paused. “Though I wouldn't mind a better bed.”

“I'll do my very best,” he said with a warm smile. “Go tell the others they can get ready to go home while I see how everyone's homes have fared.”

“All right,” Molly said with a nod. She reached over for Khan's hand and the two of them went up the stairs to the hallway. “We actually get to go home,” she said, giving him a wide smile.

“I know,” he said, nodding. He didn't smile as he said it, though. For some reason he felt less pleased than he had thought he would.

“You don't seem happy,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “What's wrong?”

He looked over at her. He had hoped he could keep the thoughts that threatened to ruin his happiness with her at bay, but they had come up more often than he would have liked. “A few weeks ago I told Sherlock I was born and bred for war. And before all of this happened I was doing a decent enough job of living a normal life. But I worry that won't be the case now. I've spent the last few months being my old self, committing act after act of violence. And I have no regrets for that, but I'm not sure if I can go back to a normal life.”

“So what are you saying?” she asked quietly.

“I don't know,” he said, letting go of her hand and running a hand through his hair. “It's all going to be different now. Sherlock will no longer have to pretend to be dead. He'll go back to the life he had. But I don't think I can do that. I don't think I know how.”

“Are you regretting staying?” He took a good look at her and saw she was on the verge of tears and he wanted to kick himself. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

“ _No_ ,” he said adamantly. “If I had to go through this a hundred times each time I would always choose to stay. There is nothing worthwhile for me back home. I have no future other than that of a prisoner, either under Marcus or because I enacted my plans for revenge. But I need time to figure out what I want to do with my life now.”

“And I suppose you want to do it alone?” she asked, her voice so quiet he almost hadn't heard her. She had wrapped her arms around herself and was looking down. She was bracing for him to break her heart and that wasn't what he wanted to do at all.

“Absolutely not,” he replied quietly. She looked up at him. “At the moment, you don't have a post to go to. I had hoped that while I took the time to figure out what type of life I want to lead and to see if I can actually live a life that doesn't revolve around violence you would be with me. I chose you over going home. I'm not going to throw that away while I try and find my new place in the world. You mean more to me than I can really fully explain, and if I did lose you I probably wouldn't care enough to try and have a life here. I would just see if there was a way to get home and I'd become the man you don't want me to be.”

“So what are we going to do?” she asked.

“We could start by seeing if the Doctor will let us stay on board the TARDIS a bit longer. Be actual companions to him. Do the things you should have been able to do if you had been here under different circumstances. Just take time to figure out our place in the universe now that all of this is over.” He moved closer to her and reached over to caress her face gently. “Does that sound acceptable to you?”

She nodded slowly, a smile spreading on her face. “That sounds like a good idea,” she said softly.

“Then let's tell the others they get to go home and see if the Doctor will agree to what we would like to do,” he said. “I don't see him saying no, to be honest.”

“I don't either,” she said with a soft laugh. She moved slightly and leaned in, kissing him softly. He pulled her as close as he could, deepening the kiss and relishing the moment. They would sort things out. He had just as much faith in that as he had faith in her, and he knew that while it might take time he would make sure that whatever life they did end up living was the best possible one they could have.


End file.
